A US man who legally changed his name to ‘Santa Claus’ has been arrested after an undercover sting operation exposed him as a paedophile. Claus, 75, formerly known as George Quigley, was taken into custody in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner after allegedly arranging an in-person meeting with a detective posing as a 15-year-old boy.
As per the official statement by Kenner police, apart from arranging the meeting, Claus also sent explicit photographs of himself to the undercover officer during their digital interactions. After he arrived at the meeting spot, the investigators confronted him, and he surrendered without any resistance.
Claus’ physical appearance mirrored the traditional Christmas figure, with the police finding images of the 75-year-old posing as Santa Claus for photo opportunities.
“All these defendants are a danger to our youth and society, we preach daily about the vulnerability of our children on social media and gaming platforms and now we have arrested a person who dresses up as Santa Clause inviting parents to drop their young children in his lap for photo ops, this is a cautionary tale to parents and guardians, ” said Kenner Police Chief Keith A. Conley.
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Claus is now facing counts of illegal computer-aided solicitation of a minor as well as indecent behaviour with a juvenile. He lived in Texas before moving to New Orleans where he was caught.
Claus was among 11 suspects who were arrested during the sting operation. The agency said its cybercrimes division had also obtained warrants to arrest another 10 suspects who were not immediately captured.
“Anyone who uses the anonymity of the internet to exploit children should understand one thing, we are there too. Our investigators will continue to identify these predators, build strong cases, and bring them to justice before they have the opportunity to victimise a child,” said Conley.
